Study of organohalogen contaminants in yogurt by NAA and GC-ECD

The concentrations and distributions of total halogen (TX), extractable organohalogen (EOX) and extractable persistent organohalogen (EPOX) were determined in 20 kinds of yogurt specimens collected from Chinese supermarkets using neutron activation analysis (NAA) and gas chromatography equipped with a 63Ni electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The results indicated that the halogens in yogurt mainly existed as non-extractable organohalogen compounds. About 25–30% of EOX was EPOX. EOCl and EPOCl were the main organohalogen species in yogurt. The average concentration of the identified organochlorine, such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), was below 4% of EPOCl.